Table Of Content
All kids experience some trauma when they enter the foster care system. And people don’t always realize that even though we “sign up for this” as foster parents, it’s hard. As Foster Village Charlotte continues to evolve, our commitment to these children and families remains unwavering. We are dedicated to expanding our services, refining our programs, and continuing our advocacy to ensure every child and caregiver in the foster care system receives the support and dignity they deserve.
Unlock financial insights by subscribing to our monthly plan.
You play, show them around, and blow out the candles with so many adults that are here just for you. The team launched Foster the Movement, a fundraising campaign that asked foster families, volunteers and donors to share their stories on social media and ask for support from friends and family. The Village overwhelmingly responded, raising more than $80,000 to help continue the services that had supported many of them so well.
Opportunities
The child is familiar with the people at the center and loves playing in the backyard. As foster parents engage in professional services and programming, they experience a safe space for their emotional needs to be met and connection with other foster families. And the ripple effect of stabilizing and equipping the foster family directly impacts the child.
Village Partner Community
After Maeve was born, Tony started roasting coffee in the backyard and selling it to friends and family for fun. This went on for a couple of years, through the birth of our second daughter, Raeya. Create professional content with Canva, including presentations, catalogs, and more. Transform any piece of content into a page-turning experience.
15 things to do in Huntersville — from street tacos to a social district - Axios
15 things to do in Huntersville — from street tacos to a social district.
Posted: Tue, 14 Feb 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Resources
I’m here to be an ally.” I had a picture of her room on my phone that I showed him. My empathy grew in leaps and bounds in the hospital that day. We work to elevate the voices of children and families, build awareness, and increase access to the tools needed to end generational cycles of adversity. By connecting foster families with other foster families, biological families and trusted resources, families are strengthened and empowered to continue fostering. We believe that strengthening the families and systems that surround a child experiencing foster care leads to a resilient next generation that breaks the cycle of childhood adversity. Bill Martin echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the team’s aim to create a relief valve for directors and a template for the organization to transcend founder-centric care.
We need support in the sourcing and hiring process but also in the knowledge of when to grow positions into full time and what is sustainable and livable. An active board leading this initiative is an area of growth for us. Having clarity in budgeting and market-value rates of positions is a resource need. In the summer of 2022, FVC expanded to two facilities. This expansion allows us to deepen our work with our program in development and is central to our strategic plans for the next three years.
I would have loved for my (foster) children’s father to have access to a home-like setting like our current resource center in the Oakhurst neighborhood. We hope to open a larger resource center so we can provide more intentional programming around the foster and biological family on their road home. When Raeya was 6 months old, we both left teaching. I took a job at Watershed, working in the children’s program. During that time, I said to Tony, “Let’s do foster care.” Looking back, that did not feel like the right time to start something new. Tony was starting his business, I was in a new job, we had little kids.
Scissors & Scotch Brings the Ultimate Men's Grooming Experience to Charlotte
All caregivers are welcome to attend and we are able to provide credit hours toward re-licensing. FVC also hosts informal gatherings, Parents Night Out and social/play groups. Within 48 hours, FVC provides a week’s worth of all new essential and comfort items to ensure children have what they need. When caregivers say yes to keeping siblings together, FVC provides larger necessities to ensure each child has a comfortable first night sleep.
What Locals Love
Foster Village Charlotte knew where they wanted to go – but they also knew they needed help to build a strong foundation that would make them sustainable for years to come. “When we joined Cultivate, we had a lot of momentum and community support,” said Founder and Executive Director Becky Santoro. We recently hired a licensed clinical social worker. We also launched a “before your first placement” group. At the end of four weeks, new foster parents have an opportunity to partner with a seasoned foster parent mentor to walk them through their first placement.
Foster Village operates on an annual budget of about $350,000, 70% of which comes from individual donations. It occupies a small house in the Oakhurst neighborhood in southeast Charlotte, but Santoro hopes she can raise enough money for a new resource center by the end of 2023. A new center would allow for more comfortable interactions between children and caregivers at sensitive and emotionally charged times, like when foster children reunite with their birth families. It is this ‘village,’ alongside a real community need that has fueled Foster Village’s momentum.
But towards the end, we learned she may need to be adopted. We absolutely wanted to adopt her, but then we were put on hold. Whether you’re a foster parent or you want to provide support, there are so many ways to get involved at FVC. If you, or someone you know, is interested in becoming a foster family or would like to donate, please visit fostervillagecharlotte.org for more information.
Project SOOTHe provides non-invasive tools, play-based strategies, and individualized consultations to families free of charge to help caregivers engage and bond with the children in their homes. Forms can be filled out on our website by caregivers and our licensed pediatric Occupational Therapist and current foster parent calls to schedule a consultation. After a consultation, a follow-up email is provided that recaps the visit and suggests play-based strategies for the sensory tools that will be delivered. One of the things that brought us together was our mutual desire to support children in foster care.
Five years ago, shortly after she welcomed her first foster child, Santoro began to regularly meet three other foster parents at a playground. They told her they lacked resources and felt overwhelmed. Santoro envisioned an organization to support foster caregivers, and by the time she welcomed her second foster child, Santoro and the three other parents—Molly Zalewski, Sloan Crawford, and Traci Prillaman—had co-founded Foster Village.
No comments:
Post a Comment